The study aims to identify the people’s knowledge of basic nutrition, food safety and hygiene basics at the consumer level in different settings, namely, rural, urban and slum areas of Bangladesh. The study is expected to serve as a baseline of nutrition, food safety and hygiene knowledge across different populations in the country. The objectives of the study were to:

• Assess the knowledge of basic nutrition, cooking best practices, food safety and hygiene principles of a sample of the country that will be representative of different:

                    -Divisions of the country as well as nationally

                    -Age groups and stages of the life cycle

                    -Gender, male and female

                                  -Socio economic groups

• Compare knowledge levels to a simple assessment of people’s dietary practices, nutritional behavior and status, and overall health.
• Identify factors associated with different levels of knowledge and awareness.

The study aims to assess the general population’s knowledge and practice of basic nutrition, food safety, and hygiene in rural, urban and slum areas of Bangladesh. To obtain nationally representative information on issues related to basic nutrition, food safety and hygiene related knowledge and practice; a survey was conducted in rural, urban and slum areas of all eight divisions of the country, where a cross-sectional study design was followed. Data was collected from four types of respondents, namely, food purchasers, cooks, adolescents and caregivers from 5,000 households situated across the country. Results show that overall, one-third of the respondents living in rural-urban areas and two-fifths in slums had a low basic nutrition knowledge including absence of knowledge on foods rich in vitamin A and Iron; lack of knowledge on adverse health effects of trans-fatty acid, such as, cardiovascular disease risk; low knowledge on adverse health effects of unfavorable nutrition behavior (e.g. eating salty/savory foods—puri, singara, crisps and chips, chanachur, etc; sweet foods/sugary foods; sugar sweetened beverages); lack of knowledge about adequate dietary diversity from consuming a variety of foods and well-balanced diet; the lowest knowledge of basic nutrition and adverse health effects of unfavorable nutrition behavior compared to other types of consumers in the case of adolescents living in urban areas. Consequently, overall, 43 percent of cooks living in rural-urban and slum areas had low knowledge on cooking best practices, including, most of the cooks (74.5 percent) did not mention that vegetables need to be cleaned before cooking, fifty seven percent of cooks did not know how many times cooked food is safe to reheat before consumption. Study also identified that overall, one-third of cooks had low food safety and hygiene knowledge including lack of knowledge about the sources of possible cross-contamination in the household to protect potential food safety and hygiene hazards and risk; low personal hygiene and inadequate handwashing practices at critical times during food preparation and before eating; lack of knowledge and understanding regarding the concepts of “food safety” and “food hygiene”; low knowledge on the need to avoid keeping cooked foods at ambient temperature for prolonged periods and to reheat leftover food properly before eating and feeding to infants. Low access to pipe water—an option in high demand, for increasing water access for drinking, and for washing fresh fruit and vegetables before preparation and eating, mainly in the rural households. Having no formal education, belonging to the low wealth category, having inadequate dietary diversity, being underweight or obese, and having somewhat or bad health condition were identified as significant predictors/indicators of low levels of knowledge and awareness. There were also geographical differences with those in Barisal faring worse in terms of knowledge and awareness while those in Khulna division has worse knowledge of cooking best practices, and those in Rangpur had low food safety and hygiene knowledge. This household survey has identified a need to raise awareness of basic nutrition, cooking best practices and food safety and hygiene, and to improve the knowledge, attitudes and practices of consumers at household level. To this effect, it is suggested to promote effective awareness campaigns to increase knowledge on adverse health effects of trans-fatty acid, unfavorable nutrition behavior. Popularize the adoption of balanced diets and quality eating behavior for a healthy life. Special attention should be given to nutritionally vulnerable people being underweight, somewhat or bad health condition and adolescent girls. Promote effective training to those purchasing food for the household regarding dietary diversity and healthy diet and develop network among food purchaser, producers, and relevant departments to obtain necessary support for ensuring availability of diversified food items at household/community level. Improve hygiene knowledge through Behavior Change Communication (BCC) followed by community–based monitoring through public and private sector partnerships to check whether environmental sanitation and hygiene practices are maintained properly in the household to protect potential food safety and hygiene hazards and risk. The study emphasized the need for food safety and hygiene surveillance systems to monitor and assess progress over time and inform policy decisions.